Did You Know Absinthe Is ...

• Not poisonous, and never was?• Not hallucinogenic, and never was?• Legal in the USA since the 1960s?• Not just a novelty? There are fine absinthes, just like fine wine, whisky, and cognac. Read more here:

Absinthe Evaluation Tutorial

Do you know how to tell a great absinthe from a so-so absinthe? What does one look for, or demand, in a glass of absinthe? Just as with fine wine, fine absinthe has a whole language and system for evaluation and tasting.

Aroma: Nice hints of wormwood, green and star anise, and the everpresent veronica. This batch actually has a hint of rootbeer when unlouched. Spicy, in a good way.
v3 score: 3
v4 score: 4

Flavor: Flowery and refreshing with lots of the wormwood coming through. Thicker than batch 3 so I recommend a bit more water. White pepper spiciness with some sweet anise and even some violettes. v4 is a bit more heavy and savory.
v3 score: 4
v4 score: 4

Finish: The numbing of v3 has been reduced, but is still there a bit. The spiciness sticks around for a while.
v3 score: 4
v4 score: 4

Overall: If the numbing was toned down a bit, I would have given the overall score a 4, but since this is an improvement I'd recommend, it would fit within the definition of a 3.
v3 score: 3
v4 score: 3

Note: This absinthe (v3) was also reviewed very favorably by other WS members during the Green Weekend of September 12th, 2009.

Aroma: Nice hints of wormwood, green and star anise, and the everpresent veronica. This batch actually has a hint of rootbeer when unlouched. Spicy, in a good way.
v3 score: 3
v4 score: 4

Flavor: Flowery and refreshing with lots of the wormwood coming through. Thicker than batch 3 so I recommend a bit more water. White pepper spiciness with some sweet anise and even some violettes. v4 is a bit more heavy and savory.
v3 score: 4
v4 score: 4

Finish: The numbing of v3 has been reduced, but is still there a bit. The spiciness sticks around for a while.
v3 score: 4
v4 score: 4

Overall: If the numbing was toned down a bit, I would have given the overall score a 4, but since this is an improvement I'd recommend, it would fit within the definition of a 3.
v3 score: 3
v4 score: 3

Note: This absinthe (v3) was also reviewed very favorably by other WS members during the Green Weekend of September 12th, 2009.

Louche: thick oily trails from the very beginning, then a lot of orange at the bottom of the glass, with a clearly distinct top layer. At 1:4 the green color is still very intense, more than I expected given the original color. At 1:5 the louche starts weakening but still keeps its green color and some orange and blue reflexes.

Aroma: Before adding water the aroma is not very strong. One can perceive mostly anise and fennel, with some alcohol. With water the aroma does not intensify much, and wormwood becomes more evident.

Taste: More wormwood than anise, the taste is neither intense nor complex. Rather bitter than sweet, one could say it is a dry absinthe. Very fresh, neat.

Finish: some bitterness and some tongue numbness.

Overall: this could be the right absinthe for those who are not too fond of anise and like dry beverages. The price/quality ratio is not bad, but I fail to find something remarkable here.

Dry

Appearance: nothing to say, a medium peridot green, with no sediment.

Louche: thick oily trails from the very beginning, then a lot of orange at the bottom of the glass, with a clearly distinct top layer. At 1:4 the green color is still very intense, more than I expected given the original color. At 1:5 the louche starts weakening but still keeps its green color and some orange and blue reflexes.

Aroma: Before adding water the aroma is not very strong. One can perceive mostly anise and fennel, with some alcohol. With water the aroma does not intensify much, and wormwood becomes more evident.

Taste: More wormwood than anise, the taste is neither intense nor complex. Rather bitter than sweet, one could say it is a dry absinthe. Very fresh, neat.

Finish: some bitterness and some tongue numbness.

Overall: this could be the right absinthe for those who are not too fond of anise and like dry beverages. The price/quality ratio is not bad, but I fail to find something remarkable here.

Despite being given the opportunity of tasting all the previous St. Antoine versions, the latest one, i.e. #7 seems to capture all the glorious moments in its history. St. Antoine stands fast on its position of the most accurate absinthe hailing from Czech Republic. End of story.

Colour is not as vivid as in previous batches, slightly on the pale green side

Louche is ideal, that is all I can say

Aroma is composed of veronica upfront-in the vein of the premiere batches, good measure of anise, , very herbaceous

Flavour is slightly minty, not heavy, dry and smooth the same time. Wormwood and mint, or melissa get very prominent, but veronica is far away, the finish with coriander and anise. Has chamomile been removed-is the question that comes to my mind. Martin has kindly explained that it was lowered only.

All in all, everything that was supposed to be done in the realm of St. Antoine verte, has been done. Time for a blanche. Now!

St. Antoine #7

Despite being given the opportunity of tasting all the previous St. Antoine versions, the latest one, i.e. #7 seems to capture all the glorious moments in its history. St. Antoine stands fast on its position of the most accurate absinthe hailing from Czech Republic. End of story.

Colour is not as vivid as in previous batches, slightly on the pale green side

Louche is ideal, that is all I can say

Aroma is composed of veronica upfront-in the vein of the premiere batches, good measure of anise, , very herbaceous

Flavour is slightly minty, not heavy, dry and smooth the same time. Wormwood and mint, or melissa get very prominent, but veronica is far away, the finish with coriander and anise. Has chamomile been removed-is the question that comes to my mind. Martin has kindly explained that it was lowered only.

All in all, everything that was supposed to be done in the realm of St. Antoine verte, has been done. Time for a blanche. Now!

-Color-
Before Water: Clear vivid and natural amber-olive-green. The sample I had was a bit young, which contributed to the brightness, but Iâ€™d bet this will settle into a nice amber or peridot.

After Water: Thickish but good and opaque; light olive.

-Louche-
Great fog bank and bouncing tendrils, good pace.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Mild anethole along with sharp star anise, herbaceous and earthy.

After Water: A distinctly fragrant and dryly floral wormwood, citrus; anise and fennel are mild but subtly juicy in the back. Star anise is still one of the most prominent scents, and though I know not much of it was used, I feel it comes across as just a bit too cloying and distracting.

-Flavor-
Enjoyably mild spice, citrus and minty notes up front. The tasty A.a. from the aroma is very prominent and contributes the same dry floral character, along with a strong but well balanced savory bitter. The anise and fennel provide a backbone role, but are nice and full. Itâ€™s interesting, but I did not perceive the star anise in the actual flavor, only the aroma.

-Overall-
I found this absinthe overall to be very enjoyable and would recommend it. The big wormwood character is similar to Pontarlier, but is different enough to distinguish itself and is obviously very high quality (if Iâ€™m not mistaken, itâ€™s the same stuff used to make Lâ€™Italienne). The one thing that actively detracted from this absinthe was the star anise in the nose. However, it did not hurt the flavor, which I found to be one of the better, more expressive wormwood forward profiles Iâ€™ve had recently.

Since it was young at the time of tasting, I wonder if the cloying from the badiane aroma will dissipate with time, and how long that might take. I recently had some PF Taragona 1950, and though the presence of star anise was about as obvious, it somehow wasnâ€™t bothersome in the least.

At last, a quality genuine Czech absinthe (v.3)

-Color-
Before Water: Clear vivid and natural amber-olive-green. The sample I had was a bit young, which contributed to the brightness, but Iâ€™d bet this will settle into a nice amber or peridot.

After Water: Thickish but good and opaque; light olive.

-Louche-
Great fog bank and bouncing tendrils, good pace.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Mild anethole along with sharp star anise, herbaceous and earthy.

After Water: A distinctly fragrant and dryly floral wormwood, citrus; anise and fennel are mild but subtly juicy in the back. Star anise is still one of the most prominent scents, and though I know not much of it was used, I feel it comes across as just a bit too cloying and distracting.

-Flavor-
Enjoyably mild spice, citrus and minty notes up front. The tasty A.a. from the aroma is very prominent and contributes the same dry floral character, along with a strong but well balanced savory bitter. The anise and fennel provide a backbone role, but are nice and full. Itâ€™s interesting, but I did not perceive the star anise in the actual flavor, only the aroma.

-Overall-
I found this absinthe overall to be very enjoyable and would recommend it. The big wormwood character is similar to Pontarlier, but is different enough to distinguish itself and is obviously very high quality (if Iâ€™m not mistaken, itâ€™s the same stuff used to make Lâ€™Italienne). The one thing that actively detracted from this absinthe was the star anise in the nose. However, it did not hurt the flavor, which I found to be one of the better, more expressive wormwood forward profiles Iâ€™ve had recently.

Since it was young at the time of tasting, I wonder if the cloying from the badiane aroma will dissipate with time, and how long that might take. I recently had some PF Taragona 1950, and though the presence of star anise was about as obvious, it somehow wasnâ€™t bothersome in the least.

Color- Inviting peridot with light gold edges under natural light. No sediment at all in the sample bottle.

Louche- Very nice think cascading trails right off the bat with a slow pour but it ends too soon and may be a tad too thick when finished.

Aroma- Sweet anise & fennel with some herbs Iâ€™ve never smelled before. Itâ€™s nice but some points need to be deducted since itâ€™s undetectable after a minute.

Flavor- Overall I would say this is both fresh and flowery- probably due to the wormwood. Thereâ€™s a decent amount of quality anise & fennel mid palate and ends with a creamy finish. Thereâ€™s an herb in here that I canâ€™t pick out (probably veronica as Brian points out) that lends a tea-like creaminess to the flavor.

Finish- Minty & fresh with a bit of fennel. I would describe the finish as a tad drying/bitter as opposed to sweet. Somewhat long lasting as well.

Overall- Congrats to Martin for putting together a quality absinthe from the Czech Republic. Iâ€™m looking forward to this being available in the states. Hopefully other Czech â€˜absinthe producersâ€™ can take note.

v.3 - Nice mid-range verte

Color- Inviting peridot with light gold edges under natural light. No sediment at all in the sample bottle.

Louche- Very nice think cascading trails right off the bat with a slow pour but it ends too soon and may be a tad too thick when finished.

Aroma- Sweet anise & fennel with some herbs Iâ€™ve never smelled before. Itâ€™s nice but some points need to be deducted since itâ€™s undetectable after a minute.

Flavor- Overall I would say this is both fresh and flowery- probably due to the wormwood. Thereâ€™s a decent amount of quality anise & fennel mid palate and ends with a creamy finish. Thereâ€™s an herb in here that I canâ€™t pick out (probably veronica as Brian points out) that lends a tea-like creaminess to the flavor.

Finish- Minty & fresh with a bit of fennel. I would describe the finish as a tad drying/bitter as opposed to sweet. Somewhat long lasting as well.

Overall- Congrats to Martin for putting together a quality absinthe from the Czech Republic. Iâ€™m looking forward to this being available in the states. Hopefully other Czech â€˜absinthe producersâ€™ can take note.

Louche: Started very quick but was fun to watch while it lasted. About 1:1 and then it thinned a tiny bit.

Aroma: I just couldn't detect much aroma. We louched with ice cold water and very little if any aroma wafted through the air. That changed a bit after it had warmed to room temp but the glass was empty.

Flavor: I gave it a 3 because 3=Appropriate but unremarkable.

Finish: I finished my glass. I like to see if the drink changes much as it gets less cool. The numbing was strong and lacked flavor. It didn't make me ask for another. The numbing hid any flavor from me.

overall: The drink wasn't bad and it showed promise. I haven't tasted the earlier version. I sampled this about an hour after dinner. I treat a review as I would being on a jury, yes or no. If half points were allowed the score may still be the same or maybe a bit higher as I wanted it to be a good drink. I really did. Perhaps a little more tweaking and less numbing would help. I have some left and will re-review it another day under different conditions. Age may help.

v. 3 - The best Czech absinthe I've tasted

Color: Pale olive with no haze. It looked natural.

Louche: Started very quick but was fun to watch while it lasted. About 1:1 and then it thinned a tiny bit.

Aroma: I just couldn't detect much aroma. We louched with ice cold water and very little if any aroma wafted through the air. That changed a bit after it had warmed to room temp but the glass was empty.

Flavor: I gave it a 3 because 3=Appropriate but unremarkable.

Finish: I finished my glass. I like to see if the drink changes much as it gets less cool. The numbing was strong and lacked flavor. It didn't make me ask for another. The numbing hid any flavor from me.

overall: The drink wasn't bad and it showed promise. I haven't tasted the earlier version. I sampled this about an hour after dinner. I treat a review as I would being on a jury, yes or no. If half points were allowed the score may still be the same or maybe a bit higher as I wanted it to be a good drink. I really did. Perhaps a little more tweaking and less numbing would help. I have some left and will re-review it another day under different conditions. Age may help.